The thin line that separates dreams and reality
by slothychan
Summary: Haru starts having recurring nightmares about a certain-red-haired shark boy. His memories of him are vague and he does not remember who Rin is nor the connection they have with eachother. But little by little as he starts regaining his memories a shocking revelation is made concerning all four of his friends's pasts.
1. Dreams

Chapter 1-Dreams

Seeing that baby shark on display broke the young boy's heart. He didn't know why and he didn't know how...but somehow he just knew. The shark was crying. Even if no physical tears could be shed, the boy knew. He could feel it. The pain only continued to swell in his chest as he watched it struggle in the tank it was being held captive in. Blurry images flashed through his head and he cringed at the sight of blood staining the water red. The shark was hurt. Now Haruka was breathing heavily, and his heart felt like it was about to beat right out of his chest as his blood pressure rose and he began to go into convulsions. _He had to get him out of there. He had to save him. _

All of a sudden light flooded over him and the boy came back to reality. His eyes blinked open in shock, and sweat drenched his entire body. His friend jumped back startled at his sudden reaction. "H-haru? Are you alright?" Makoto asked worriedly as Haruka slowly collected his thoughts and remembered where he was. Strangely enough Haru could only faintly recall the events of his dream. Not that it mattered. But still it felt as if he was forgetting something. Something important.

It was then that he noticed the frightened expression on Makoto's face. He had been seriously worried about him. Judging by the way he was dripping wet with nothing but his swim trunks on, Haruka quickly came to the conclusion that he had fallen asleep in the pool. Even though he didn't even remember ever getting in the pool that day... "I'm fine," Haru replied flatly hiding any concern from his voice.

Makoto could tell something was bothering Haru and it worried him a bit that he wouldn't share. Haru knew he could always come to Makoto if he ever needed anything. They had been best friends for as long as he could remember. But for once Makoto just couldn't figure out what was bothering Haru. And the quieter he remained the more Makoto worried about him.

Haruka rarely ever showed signs of sickness or fatigue, especially when he was in or near water. His friends had every right to be concerned about him. Rei and Nagisa had noticed their friend's strange behavior as well. But they decided that they should leave him to Makoto for now, since he knew Haru best. Rei told him that it was best for him to take some time off and rest in situations like this and to go to the hospital right away if he started getting worse. If it weren't his friends who were the ones worrying over him so much, Haru might have dismissed their concern in order to stick around the pool longer and spend more time in the water. However, he could tell that they were all genuinely concerned about him and in the end he eventually gave in and let Makoto walk him home.

After Makoto made sure that Haruka got home safely, he quickly made him lay down and rest. And after a while Makoto started to fall asleep himself. "Makoto, you've treated me enough. You can go home now."

"Ah, but Haru! Are you sure? If you need anything I can-"

"Makoto. Its fine. I'm feeling better now," Haru lied. Makoto had already done enough for him. And there was no sense in making him go out of his way to do more. After all it was just a fever. He could heal on his own. There was no need for his friend's concern.

"If anything's bothering you please let me know," Makoto pleaded kindly, with a gentle but worried look in his eyes. He could tell Haruka was lying, but he decided to respect his friend's wishes and go home for now. He quickly made his way out the door and left quietly so as not to disturb Haru while he slept.

_Up until recently we had all lived fairly decent lives. And while there were conflicts here and there, for the most part every day seemed very carefree and laidback. However, as much as one may hate to admit it, all good things must come to an end eventually. But its **how long** they take to end that one does not give full consideration to. Living life as a dream... What does it all amount to in the end? It all depends on the path each individual must choose for themselves. For some, this "dream" may bring about hope, good fortune, and happiness. While for others the **struggle to face reality** will succeed only to spell out sorrow, loss, and tragedy. _

_Perhaps thats all this world ever was, nothing short of a dream. Perhaps that's all it ever has been all along. We just fail to recognize it as such. But we'll never know for sure until we finally decide to wake up._

_Though it would be a lie to say that it hasn't been fun...this world filled with nothing but false hope and sincerity. _

* * *

**A/N: Just so you know this isn't Makoharu. So if you're not a fan or Harurin/Rinharu its not too late to turn back now, love~ **


	2. Wishes

Chapter 2-Wishes

_One day we were offered a wish. A wish to use as we pleased. A wish for anything we wanted. Anything at all. But we were allowed to enjoy it only once, and when the wish was used up we could never get it back. Wishes are very powerful, and can be dangerous if granted to the wrong person. So we cherished this opportunity and chose not to waste it thoughtlessly on some selfish desire that we may someday regret. We took into careful consideration the risks of the possible outcome. But in the end, we each came to a mutual agreement. For the sake of each other's happiness, we wished for a world-a world where our friendship lasts forever. A world where our hearts are connected. By more than just a thin thread of fate. A world where our strong bonds with each other shall never be broken. A world that connects our minds, souls, and bodies for eternity. Little did we know the side effects of such a wish. The wish that tainted our innocent hearts, becoming our last salvation. Blinded by such light we let it overtake our lives and weave for us a new story devoid of anything but a fabricated sense of hope. Maybe we thought that things would be better this way. That every significant thing be forgotten and replaced with only memories of the pleasant times. Perhaps we saw it as a way of escaping the harsh reality we would soon be faced with in the near future. Escaping. That was all we knew to do. Because no one had ever taught us that it was ok to fight back._

* * *

The next day Haruka woke up feeling unusually drowsy. When he felt a presence next to him, he realized that Makoto was sitting at his bedside, waiting patiently for him to wake up. His memories had been muddled since last night, but upon the sight of Makoto he suddenly remembered what had happened the other day at swim practice. No matter how many times he told him not to worry Makoto always came rushing right back to Haru's side in the end. If ever he needed anything, Makoto was always the first to be of service. He poured his heart and soul into every last thing he did for Haru, hoping that maybe someday those feelings of his may be requited. However, right now Haru's thoughts were elsewhere.

Makoto had come to check up on Haru before school. Haru didn't like school in the first place and he really didn't feel like going today but he knew if that if he stayed home he would just make Makoto worry even more. There was no way Makoto would leave him alone if he skipped a day of school. In fact, he'd probably insist on staying home himself for the sole purpose of nursing Haruka back to health. In the end however, Haru ended up staying home anyway. After he insisted that Makoto go to school, Makoto reluctantly left but promised he would come home right away.

Makoto understood that Haruka wanted to be left alone. But he just couldn't bear the thought of his friend getting even sicker while he was away. And he could tell that there was still something on Haru's mind. Something that he wasn't telling him. It genuinely did worry Makoto; the fact that something was causing Haru distress and he chose not to confide in him.

"_Help...me..._" came the voice once again. The voice that haunted the realm of Nanase Haruka's dreams. It wasn't exactly terrified, and yet it wasn't exactly distressed either, but rather it sounded as if it was _pleading_ for just someone, anyone...to come and rescue it from the chains holding it back. "_please_..." the voice trembled in an almost inaudible tone as it choked back tears. He could feel them. Those tears. Warm and wet as they trickled down his cheek. He wanted to help it. He wanted to free it of its pain. However the more he reached out to it, the farther away the current pushed him. Then suddenly it called out his name. "Haru..." it called out softly at first, trying desperately to grab back onto his hand. "Haru." Their hands were almost touching. "Haru!" It cried one last time as it finally grabbed hold of his hand, before the current quickly pushed them apart once again and they lost sight of each other completely.

"_Haru,_" the voice called out once again. Immediately Haruka woke up. However this time the hand clutching his own was Makoto's. "You were having a nightmare." After coming back to his senses Haru realized that he was back in his room, surrounded by Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa. All three of his friends were staring at him with very concerned expressions on their faces.

"You were having a nightmare," Makoto explained in a serious tone. "Something's been bothering you lately...hasn't it?"

It was true that Haru did have a feeling of pain left behind by his dream, but even so, his memory remained foggy every time he re-entered the waking world. He wasn't really sure how to explain it to the others, but he knew the expressions they wore meant that they clearly wanted answers out of him and they weren't leaving his side empty-handed.

Letting out a heavy sigh Haruka reluctantly explained his situation to the others. "Lately...I haven't been sleeping well. Ever since last night, I've been having these nightmares...and in each one of them I see this same boy. But whenever I wake up I can't remember who he is or what he looks like..."

"Haruka-senpai." Rei spoke up. "Could it be possible that this boy is an acquaintance of yours from the past? Someone you wish to be reunited with?"

"Acquaintance..from the past..." Haruka racked his brain for any sign of past acquaintances but couldn't come up with anything.

"You've been having these dreams quite frequently have you not? Recurring dreams may often revolve around past events that even, you, the owner of the dream, is not consciously aware. Could you perhaps have encountered this person at one point in time and forgotten about them? Perhaps you had a conflict with them?"

Haru got the gist of what Rei was saying but it all somehow didn't feel right. He had faint blurry images flash through his head at every mention of the past. Yet he still couldn't quite recall who the child that kept popping up in his dreams could possibly be. Even so, he started receiving bad headaches every time he dwelled too much upon it so he decided to give it a rest for a bit.

"I still don't remember who he is but...I am feeling better now," Haruka admitted to his friends.

"Well that's a relief! But if you learn anything new please inform us right away!" Rei pleaded.

Haruka was reluctant to say anything at first but after he explained what was wrong to his friends he did feel a lot better. He decided that he would come to school the next day.

After school Haru joined the others for swim practice. He let the water consume him as he made his way through the clear blue depths of the pool. But just as quickly as he had gotten comfortable he felt a sense of uneasiness. His muscles tensed and he began to lose his sense of direction. He had been swimming the exact same way he always did, so there was no reason for him to suddenly lose all of that. But for some reason his body just did not want to listen to what he was telling it to do. Haru started feeling light-headed and his vision became blurry as he gradually lost all consciousness and his world faded to black.

As soon as Haruka had entered the water he started acting very different from usual. His body seemed like it was moving...on its own. The movements he made resembled those of a dolphin. But these movements seemed forced as if he was under the influence of something powerful that was controlling his every move. His eyes were dulled and focused on nothing in particular.

Makoto immediately dove into the pool and swam up to Haru. Grabbing Haruka's arm he propped him up on one shoulder and tried to help him out of the water. Rei and Nagisa swam after Makoto and rushed to his side to help. However as soon as Makoto had grabbed hold of him, Haruka knocked him away while continuing to kick and splutter helplessly in the water. Makoto carefully grabbed hold of Haru again while Nagisa and Rei tried to hold him back from struggling. They hurriedly dragged Haruka out of the water and upon doing so he immediately flopped to the ground. The black-haired boy just lay there unconscious. "Haru? Haru!" Makoto called Haruka's name over and over again and yet his voice just didn't seem to reach him. Rei quickly dialed an ambulance which came by shortly to take away their dear friend on a stretcher. "Is Haru-chan going to be okay?" Nagisa thought to himself even though he already knew all too well the answer to that question.

Haruka woke up in a quiet room with blank white walls. This room seemed eerily familiar as he carefully scanned it back and forth. Several doctors in white surgical masks stood by his hospital bed. Suddenly Haruka's face became stained in several clear beads of sweat. Haruka did not know why but he felt an overwhelming wave of fear wash over him at the sight of those plain white uniforms. Chills crawled up his spine as one of the doctors made his way closer to Haru's face with scalpel in hand. The shadow of the figure with the scalpel loomed over the bedside in a menacing fashion.

Haruka suddenly jolted awake, startling the nurse who had been checking his temperature.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Nanase-san! Did I startle your sleep?"

Relieved to see that it was all a dream, Haruka quickly sat up in his hospital bed and checked the date on the calendar located on the wall. His eyes widened in shock when he read the date. _Sunday. _Haruka didn't quite remember what happened but the last time he woke up was on a Thursday. He had been asleep for _three days. _Makoto must have worried about him.

As if reading his mind, Makoto hurriedly burst into the hospital room with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Upon seeing that Haru had awoken the green-haired boy ran to his side to check up on him. "Haru! You're awake! Oh thank goodness! We've all been so worried about you!"

"I could tell," Haru responded, patting Makoto reassuringly on the shoulder. "What are those for?" Haru asked quietly at the sight of the flowers. "Aah! These! Are for-they're a get-well present! For you, Haru!" Makoto muttered helplessly becoming completely flustered in the cheeks. Makoto sat near Haru's bedside and almost placed his hand softly upon Haru's before stopping and realizing what he was doing.

"I'll see you tommorrow then! Get well, Haru!"

Haru waved goodbye as Makoto left.

Haru was feeling uneasy about his hospital room. He wanted to get out of there. And fast. After asking the doctor when he would be discharged the only response was "You're not ready to leave yet. I'm sorry."

_What the hell did that mean?_

"You need to become fully healed or else the results of your condition may become fatal," was all she responded in a serious tone.

"My _condition_?"

Haruka found this suspicious considering he wasn't even told what this "condition" was.

"I'm very sorry. I cannot say much more!" the nurse quickly ran out of the room before Haru could ask more.

**A/N:** just in case anyone is confused this _is_ an AU. If that helps. But its supposed to be confusing so please do continue being confused for me~


	3. Lies

Chapter 3-Lies

_Everybody has told a lie at some point in time. Some lie to protect, some resort to lying as a form of self-defense, while still others lie for their own benefits and ill intentions out of pure greed and malice. Little did we know that everything we knew up until this time was "fake." An illusion some might call it. A figment of our imaginations. Completely oblivious to the false reality that ensnared us, slowly swindling down our time together, we lived on peacefully enjoying a laidback life full of fun and frivolity. No one could have foreseen the events that awaited us, but maybe it was just as well..._

As Haruka recovered in the hospital, his friends continued going to school and practicing their swimming. It felt wrong practicing without Haru, but if they started canceling club activities too often the club could get disbanded. Nagisa practiced his best while Haru was away. Haruka was a very dear friend to Nagisa, and he saw him as an older brother. _Get well soon, Haru-chan! _He thought this to himself as he continued practice late into the night. He was determined to practice until Haru got better, convincing himself that if he started taking practice more seriously that the older boy would get better quicker. "Nagisa-kun, it's getting late. We should head back now," Rei called out to him. Nagisa thought about staying longer but he knew that Rei wouldn't dare leave him in the pool at night all by himself. The next day Nagisa seemed a bit out of it. Rei thought maybe it was a good idea to skip practice but Nagisa absolutely insisted on going to the pool. Rei was surprised at Nagisa's strong determination over the past couple of days. Nagisa being the energetic person he was, loved practicing but spent the other half of his pool time splashing ice-cold water on Rei's exposed back just for kicks. Yet today he appeared to be in a daze.

Nagisa's eyes felt heavy as he immersed him self in pool water. The cold water felt relaxing on his exposed skin. As he practiced his breaststroke today, he felt closer to the water than usual. It enveloped him in a strange yet familiar feeling. Though he could not seem to recall where the feeling originated from. It felt calm and lukewarm like the soft melody of a lullaby lulling him to sleep.

"Nagisa-kun!" Rei's voice quickly awakened Nagisa from his brief moment of slumber. Before he knew what was happening a large arm dragged him out the pool and safely onto the paved cement. "Rei-chan?" Nagisa stared at Rei with a questioning look. Ignoring the utter confusion on Nagisa's face Rei quickly asked "Are you alright?!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Nagisa responded.

"You looked like you were falling asleep in the pool!"

Now that he thought about it, Nagisa realized that the calm of the water may have made him feel a bit _too_ relaxed. "Ah, d-don't worry, Rei-chan! I'm a-ok!" Nagisa responded with the usual smile on his face, though he was starting to feel a bit uneasy.

"I knew we shouldn't have stayed so late at the pool last night! Now you're losing sleep, Nagisa-kun! Oh, I should have been paying more attention to your health..." Rei trailed off on a worried ramble.

"I'm fine, Rei-chan!"

"Ok...but we're going home early just to be safe!"

"Roger that, Captain Rei-chan!" Nagisa replied jokingly with the usual sparkle reflecting in his bright pink orbs.

On the way home to their apartment Nagisa started feeling dizzy. "Nagisa-kun? Are you sure you're alright?" Rei asked nervously seeing as Nagisa started to wobble around a little bit. He looked as if his legs might give out beneath him any minute now. "It feels...hot...Rei...chan..." Nagisa panted as small beads of sweat dripped down his face. He did not look well at all. Rei carefully hoisted Nagisa up onto his back and wrapped his arms around his waist. Nagisa clung tightly to Rei as he gave him a piggyback ride home. "Rei-chan...I want to go home..." Nagisa moaned softly, half-asleep. "We're almost there, Nagisa-kun. You just rest for now."

As soon as they arrived home, Rei quickly laid Nagisa down on their bed and brought him an ice-pack to cool off. "Rei-chan...I want to go home..." Nagisa repeated what he had said earlier. "We are home, Nagisa-kun."

"I know...Rei-chan...there's something wrong with me..."

"What's wrong, Nagisa-kun? Are you hurt?!" Rei panicked, quickly checking Nagisa's body for injuries.

"I want to go back..." Nagisa replied listlessly.

"Back to where, Nagisa-kun?"

"I dont know...it's just this weird feeling I've been having...I'm sorry, Rei-chan! I probably sound crazy right now..."

"Nagisa-kun...you can tell me anything. If there's something bothering you please don't hesitate to discuss it with me," Rei replied with a serious yet worried tone.

"Rei-chan...I'm scared..." Nagisa trembled as hot tears tumbled down his face. "Like you said, this _is_ my home. This house, the town of Iwatobi, the pool...Rei-chan and Mako-chan and Haru-chan...All of you are my _family. _Without you...without you I'd be...all alone again."

"Oh, Nagisa-kun..." Rei gently wiped away Nagisa's tears and gently embraced him.

"But you're here right now. So why do I feel so terrified?"

"Don't worry, Nagisa-kun. I'm not going anywhere. I promise I'll never leave you alone," Rei softly kissed away the remaining tears.

"Thank you, Rei-chan. For continuing to stay by side" Nagisa clutched Rei's hand tightly, as he began to calm down. "I love you."

"I love you too, Nagisa-kun."

"Rei, will you wipe the sweat off my back?" Nagisa asked with a mischievous smirk on his face.

Rei blushed at the implications of Nagisa's statement, but felt relieved to see him back to his usual self. He quickly hurried off and came back with a towel to wipe off Nagisa's sweat.

"I was joking!" Nagisa responded surprisedly when Rei came back with a towel in his hand.

"Oh were you, Nagisa-kun?"

"Maaaaybeee" Nagisa averted his gaze, playfully sticking his tongue out.

Nagisa shivered as Rei wiped the sweat off his body. He winced a bit when Rei accidentally touched one of the scars on his chest.

"N-nagisa-kun! I'm so sorry!" Rei immediately stopped wiping as painful memories sprung forth.

"Hehe...it's fine Rei-chan," Nagisa replied with a nostalgic smile on his face.

When he was 14 years old, Nagisa's parents mysteriously passed away on a trip to a desert island.

After his parents died Nagisa was sent to an orphanage for a short while. Nagisa had always had trouble making friends because other kids thought he acted too feminine. They made fun of him for this and he took it. Adults always scolded the children for getting into fights, even when it was for self-defense. He had no allies. If he stood up for himself it would end up being _his_ fault. But as long as he stayed quiet he would be the only one getting hurt. He believed he was worthless and that nobody loved him. The other boys would harrass Nagisa and call him names. He had stopped eating his meals and started growing skinnier by the day. He was convinced that the world hated him. Nobody ever tried to understand him. It did not matter whether he lived or died. His parents were gone. And there was nobody else who needed him. He was a mistake. His existence did not have any meaning. After a while started slitting his wrists, then his abdomen, then every other part of his body that did not already have an open wound. The night he tried slitting his throat he thought he was alone in the boys bathroom. When the other boy approached him from the shadows Nagisa did not stop cutting. It was probably just another bully coming to rough him up again. "Please don't hurt yourself!" the younger boy called out to Nagisa. "Why do you care...? It's my body and I can do what I want with it!"

"Please!" the boy shouted again, grabbing Nagisa by the arm.

"Don't touch me!" Nagisa screamed at him, smacking the boy's hand away.

The room became silent when Nagisa sliced through the pale skin on the boy's hand.

"I'm sorry...please don't come near me again..." Nagisa was on the verge of tears now. He really was the scum of the earth. It was only okay when he was the one getting hurt.

"No," was all the boy said in response.

"But...I hurt you..." Nagisa sobbed.

"I don't care. I'm not leaving you alone," the boy replied, holding out his hand to Nagisa.

"Don't you hate me?" Nagisa whimpered.

"Of course not. But please don't ever try to take your own life. A life is precious thing that shouldn't be thrown away so lightly."

"...is that all you came here to tell me?"

"Nagisa-kun...please be my friend!"

Nobody had ever spoken those words to Nagisa before.

"I'm sorry, Nagisa-kun. I saw you getting bullied but I was too scared to help you. I was a coward. So if you can't forgive me for that then I understand..."

"No..." Nagisa grabbed Rei by the shirt. "I-I'll be your f-friend...Rei-chan..." Nagisa sobbed into Rei's shirt.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone for so long. I'm sorry for letting those monsters hurt you..." Rei soothed the crying Nagisa and gently stroked his hair. "But from now on... I promise I'll protect you!"

And Rei kept his promise. Eventually Nagisa grew enough confidence to stand up for himself, but he never could have done it all without Rei by his side. Rei gave him the strength he needed to fight on and Nagisa cherished every moment they spent together. Nagisa's life grew brighter and brighter and he started seeing the joy in living.

After a while Rei and Nagisa escaped from the orphanage together and moved into their apartment building. They started attending Iwatobi High where they met and Makoto and Haruka, and formed the swim club.

Nagisa held Rei close to him as they drifted off to sleep "Without you, Rei-chan, I wouldn't be the person I am today."

A/N: Sorry for the corny Reigisa chapter. But next chapter focuses more on Haru's perspective again...once I get around to typing it out =3=;; There is some significance to the plot in this chapter though. As I said before: Confusion is a good thing!


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